THE STONE CHAT. 



549 



noise ; but during the months of May and June it is often heard 

 chanting a soft, mellow, and very pleasing song. In autumn 

 great numbers of them may be seen gliding among the fruit trees 

 and bushes. 



The STO^"E Chat ( Saxicola rubicola, Temm.), Fig. 252, has the head 

 and throat black in the male, the breast brownish red, the sides of 

 the neck white, a white spot on the wings, the tipper parts brownish 

 black, and the feathers edged with brownish red. In the female the 

 head and n])per parts are streaked with brownish red, the throat 







Fig. 251. — Tlie Wood AVai'bier, or WoolI Wren (Sylvia stlilatrix, Bechstein) 



yellowish grey, the breast dull brownish red, a white spot on the 

 wings, and the upper tail coverts yellowish red. " In April," says 

 McGillivray, " it forms its nest, generally under some furze bush, 

 or other shrub, or among rank grass ; it is formed of stems and 

 blades of grasses, intermixed with moss, and lined vvith finer 

 straws, fibrous roots, hair, and wool, as well as feathers. These 

 birds manifest intense anxiety should any one approach their nest, 

 fluttering and flitting about, and incessantly emitting their sharp, 



